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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27641060">Silence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/diavol0z/pseuds/diavol0z'>diavol0z</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Soul Eater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Psychosis, Trauma, WTF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:07:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,422</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27641060</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/diavol0z/pseuds/diavol0z</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Stein hadn’t been himself lately. For the past week he had been acting strangely, Spirit would find him standing over the kitchen sink late at night, staring into the drain motionlessly." </p><p>In which Stein has an episode, and Spirit (tries) to provide comfort.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Spirit Albarn | Death Scythe &amp; Franken Stein, Spirit Albarn | Death Scythe/Franken Stein</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>71</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Silence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spirits eyes flicked to the side anxiously as he heard another clash of glass breaking against the cold hard floor. The creator of the noise, and the many more before that, was hunched over his desk, both hands firmly planted on the desk’s surface as if to hold him upright, in exception for when he would swat various things off of said desk. </p><p> </p><p>Stein hadn’t been himself lately. For the past week he had been acting strangely, Spirit would find him standing over the kitchen sink late at night, staring into the drain motionlessly. He would hear Stein muttering to himself at his desk for hours at a time, Spirit wasn’t even sure if the other man slept anymore. He would go out and be missing for hours at a time and then return home late, with an assortment of scuffs and stains on himself. One time he even woke to Stein standing over his bed as he slept. At that time, Spirit sat up alarmed and asked Stein if he was okay, and if something was wrong. Stein said nothing and walked away. 
Spirit was more than worried for his friend, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit scared of him as well.</p><p> </p><p>It had all seemed to climax today however, today, stein was lumbering around the house breaking things and occasionally murmuring angrily to himself, paying no mind to Spirit who had been sitting nearby on a couch as it all started. </p><p> </p><p>Spirit could only watch in alarm, too suprised and frightened to move or draw attention to himself. He had only seen Stein like this once before, and when he did, stein had returned with a dead animal in tow. Spirit couldn’t even recognize what kind of animal through all the mangled fur. </p><p> </p><p>As much as Spirit trusted and cared for his partner, he was still alarmed by his unusual behavior. Unfortunately though for Spirit, staying unnoticed was not an option. Stein had turned to look at him with wide, dark lined eyes, heavy dark circles around them from the lack of sleep. 
He looked at Spirit as if he finally noticed the other man was there, how you would look at food after not seeing any in many days, a look of disbelief and excitement. </p><p> </p><p>He started to make his way over to Spirit across the room slowly. The aforementioned man felt panic rise to his chest, wishing he could run, but unable to move himself other than to push himself further back into the couch and pray Stein becomes distracted by something else. </p><p> </p><p>The other man looks completely disheveled, his face looks tired, yet manic, his hair was more unkempt than it usually was, even his lab coat was falling off his shoulders. He truly looked like a dead man walking. </p><p> </p><p>As Stein had gotten within just a few inches of where Spirit was sitting, he looked down on the other man and smiled slightly, the other was, quite visibly tense. He reached a hand out to touch the left side of Spirit’s head, Spirit flinched and moved his leg to the side slightly, as if to get up. Stein’s smile faltered. He didn’t like the idea of Spirit running away from him. </p><p> </p><p>Spirit tensed up again as stein grabbed his right wrist, and, keeping his head lowered, fell on the sofa, exactly where Spirit was sitting, effectively trapping the redhead with his body weight. “Stein??” Spirit laughed nervously, he could feel his skin crawling, not only had he never been close to his partner like this, but especially not while he was having a psychotic break. He felt nauseated.</p><p> </p><p>Stein slowly wrapped his arms around Spirit, he rested his head on the other man’s left shoulder, his legs trapping Spirit’s, keeping him from moving. Little did he know, Spirit was too stunned and frightened to move, he felt his hair stand on end every time stein moved, afraid to make any sharp noise or movement. It was like being wrapped up by a hungry snake. </p><p> </p><p>Stein had started humming to himself as he wrapped his hands around Spirit’s arms. Spirit swallowed hard and shifted in his seat a bit, he felt like he was going to melt, there was just too much happening all at once, he had no idea what had gotten into Stein, or what he was going to do next. Stein must have noticed this anxiety, because he tightened his grip on Spirit’s arms. And considerably so too. His light humming had turned into incomprehensible murmuring, only raising his voice loud enough so Spirit could catch the words “s’ important to me.” Spirit froze for a minute, holding stiller than before. What on earth. Is going on. </p><p> </p><p>Spirit decided, against his “better judgement” he would try again to get stein to speak to him. </p><p> </p><p>Spirit cleared his throat as Stein had begun stroking Spirits arms with his thumbs. “Stein? What’s going on buddy.....” Stein said nothing, but went still. There was a deafening silence for a few seconds before Stein jerked a bit, as if something had startled him, he started to breathe heavy and shake. He was incredibly tense, and gripping onto Spirit's arms harder than ever. Too hard. Spirit winced and started to try to pull away, Stein’s grip being too strong, he didn’t get very far. “Stein?!” He was starting to panic even more than before, his throat felt sore like as if he had swallowed a gallon of sand. </p><p>As Spirit felt steins nails break his skin he let out a strangled yelp.</p><p> </p><p>“Agh- Stein please you’re hurting me!!” </p><p> </p><p>Stein gasped and went still. His grip had lifted completely as if he was shocked. </p><p>He started to shake once again, but this time it was different. His body was no longer tense, he had relaxed and let himself lean against Spirit. He still had his arms wrapped around the other man, but it wasn’t frightening or painful, it was gentle and wanting. Stein was crying. </p><p> </p><p>Spirit felt his worry fade, as it was replaced with shock. He felt a twang of pain in his chest, he knew the other man hadn’t meant to hurt him, in fact, he was probably more frightened than spirit was. </p><p> </p><p>Spirit raised his sore arms, to place his left on Stein’s shaking back, and the other on his head. </p><p>Through shaking sobs Stein repeated “I’m sorry, ..I’m so sorry” </p><p>Spirit stroked Stein’s hair, and softly reminded the distraught man that he was safe as the latter sobbed into his shoulder. </p><p>After what felt like a short millennia, Stein’s shaking had calmed, and his breath evened. His hands still gripping the back of Spirit's shirt, as if he was going to fall away from the very earth at any second. </p><p> </p><p>Stein turned his head to face Spirit's neck, and he took a few more deep breaths with his eyes closed before sitting upright and looking down at his former partner with glassy eyes. 
Spirit smiled gently and reached up to take off Stein’s glasses “these are all foggy now, how can you see anything” Spirit laughed lightly. Stein didn’t smile, but he wasn’t frowning either. His expression was tender, calm like a still pond, but still obviously worn with a look of vulnerability. </p><p> </p><p>He lifted his hand to stroke Spirit’s red locks again, much like the first time, but more thoughtful now. Spirit sat and stared at the man, thoughtful and curious, he found himself reaching out to do the same. </p><p> </p><p>He ran his hand over silver locks of hair, over the cool metal of the screw that sat ever present in his head, over his thoughtful, ever-working, and mysterious mind, and eventually back down to his cheek, wiping Stein’s tear-streaked face with his thumb. Stein turns his face slowly to look down. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry Spirit. I didn’t mean to hurt you” Spirit smiles and sits up straight so that he and the other man are looking eye to eye. “I know”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just..” Spirit shook his head, cherry-colored locks falling over his face as he did so, “it’s okay, I know.” </p><p>Stein felt his heart swell a bit, pulling the other man closer to him for a final embrace, Spirit, returning the embrace and wrapping his arms around the other. </p><p>It really was going to be okay.</p><p>Now, and whenever else Stein needed him, Spirit would be there to do his best to help. Even if it meant a little broken skin. After all, </p><p> </p><p>that’s what partners are for.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>finger guns emoji. pain.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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